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Athletes and Their Family Time
Everyone in the world today has their struggles with the delicate balance between their families and work. It is much more difficult for the life of a professional athlete. It is hard enough for someone with just a 9-5 job for 40 hours a week, much less professional athletes that is away from their families and homes more than ten hours a day and are on the road half of the time as well. Although, it still doesn’t compare with families whose spouses and parents are away serving their duty.
It makes it even more difficult when the team that the player works for expects the team to come above the family. The media does not help in this matter either. New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady, who one day after his wife gave birth to their son, was at practice. A story in the Boston Herald story said Brady “showed his commitment’’ to the team by showing up for practice. I am sure that Brady has dedication to his family, but couldn’t he have missed a day of practice to be with his wife and their new baby?
I remember one time when one of my sons, who was six months old, almost died, and was placed in intensive care while we were out of town. His father, my husband, jumped on the next flight to be with us, but was fined $1500 from his team for not getting approval beforehand. I couldn’t believe it! Another time, I was having surgery and the team called the hospital to “check” if I was really admitted for surgery before releasing him from training camp for two days. Unbelievable! Nevertheless, it set a bad tone for our time with that particular organization.
Family life is extremely important in a person’s life, especially in a pro-athletes life. That time is far and few between, with practices, games, along with promotional appearances such as news conferences and filming commercials. It is also difficult because professional sports leagues have no qualms about scheduling games on some of the biggest family holidays such as Christmas, New Years, and Thanksgiving. We spent a couple of holidays in a stadium, but it wasn’t bad compared to those who have loved ones serving in the military.
When there is planned family time such as a vacation, a family must share their father or husband with the public. People want autographs, pictures, or small talk. A player doesn’t want to seem rude but, at times they have to say, “I’m sorry I’m with my family right now.” There are some fans that understand and those that don’t. Many feel as if they aren’t asking too much for a quick picture or autograph but they don’t understand one person leads to 5 more and so on.
Many athletes put their families first but they still have to contend with the fact that they are being paid a lot of money and their time is really regulated by the terms of their contract. They also have the underlying pressure of always competing for their position with the next person in line. They must show their commitment to the team.
It is a hard balancing act, but an athlete who has a supportive family, who is willing to sacrifice at times, will be able to compete and also make time for them in the long run.
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